1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a remotely programmable infusion system for medical applications. More particularly, the present invention relates to an infusion system for delivering a variety of medicines and fluids that sends voice commands and queries to a remote touch-tone transceiver and that can be programmed by pressing keys on the keypad of the remote touch-tone transceiver in response to the commands and queries.
2. Description of the Related Art
Infusion devices are used in the medical field to administer and deliver medicines and other fluids to a patient. Today, due in part to rising health costs and the high cost of hospital rooms, and in part to the desire to provide comfort and convenience to patients, the medical industry has promoted in-home care for patients suffering from various maladies. Particularly, many patients require delivery and administration of medicines or other IV fluids on a regular basis. Delivery and administration is accomplished via a variety of infusion devices, such IV pumps and gravity pumps and other types of IV administration. By supplying patients with infusion devices that are lightweight and easy to use, the patients can receive their medicinal needs at home, i.e., without having to be at a hospital and without direct assistance by a care provider, such as a nurse.
Nevertheless, the operating parameters of infusion devices must frequently be changed, due to variations in the patient""s needs. Therapy changes may also require that entire protocols be programmed. In early versions of home infusion devices, the physical presence of a care provider at the infusion device was required to reprogram the device""s protocol. Such reprogramming was costly and time-consuming, thereby severely limiting the efficiency and convenience of infusion devices.
Since the introduction of these early home infusion devices, the medical industry has made advances in the techniques by which a home infusion device can be monitored and reprogrammed. For example, one system employs a patient activated switch on a diagnostic apparatus that causes automatic dialing of a telephone number corresponding to a care provider remote from the diagnostic apparatus. This enables the patient to communicate with the care provider through a speaker and microphone on the diagnostic apparatus, permitting interactive communication with the care provider regarding the routines to be performed by the diagnostic apparatus. This system, however, merely provides the capability for the care provider to monitor the infusion device, but does not offer the capacity to remotely reprogram the infusion device.
Another remote monitoring system employs a user interface for programming blood pressure testing protocol into, and downloading blood pressure data from, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring units. The user interface is connected to a central processing computer via a telephone line. Control units located at the blood pressure testing site transfer blood pressure data to the central computer, which generates comprehensive medical reports for specific patients, but which cannot transmit reprogramming signals back to the control unit.
Other systems employ remote computers for monitoring and reprogramming the protocol of the infusion device. In one such system, the infusion device has a delivery unit for delivering the medicinal solution and a removable logic unit for controlling operation of the delivery unit. The logic unit is either attached to or separate from the delivery unit, and the latter can be worn by the patient. The logic unit is connected to a programming computer via a telephone line. The computer can be used to program the logic unit with a logic configuration suitable for operating the delivery unit in accordance with the intended delivery requirements. Thus, while such systems provide for remote reprogramming of the protocol, they require a remotely located computer to accomplish reprogramming.
The previous conventional systems have a variety of drawbacks. Most importantly, they do not provide simple, interactive reprogramming by a care provider without the need for a remote reprogramming computer. The ability to have the care provider access the remotely located infusion device on a standard telephone and reprogram the infusion device via the keys on the telephone keypad is a significant advance over conventional reprogramming techniques. This is because touch-tone reprogramming is less costly, quicker, and much more convenient for both the care provider and the patient, making infusion devices easier to use and more versatile. Conventional home infusion systems also do not have the capacity to send recorded voice signals to the remote care provider instructing and asking the care provider about reprogramming the infusion device. By using recorded voice commands and queries stored in the infusion system that direct the care provider in reprogramming the infusion device, the process of reprogramming is made simpler and more efficient, with little chance of making programming errors. Therefore, a need exists for an infusion device that can be remotely programmed via a transceiver without the need for a remote programming computer and that sends recorded voice signals from the infusion device to a care provider.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a remotely programmable infusion system and a method for remotely programming an infusion system via a remote transceiver that substantially obviates one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description that follows and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the apparatus and method particularly pointed out in the written description and claims of this application, as well as the appended drawings.
To achieve these and other advantages, and in accordance with the purpose of the invention as embodied and broadly described herein, the present invention defines a remotely programmable infusion system having a programmable protocol, the infusion system being remotely programmable by a remote touch-tone transceiver. The remotely programmable infusion system comprises a memory for storing a programmable protocol and a remote communication port for sending a voice signal to the remote touch-tone transceiver and for receiving a remote programming signal from the remote touch-tone transceiver. The remotely programmable infusion system also comprises a voice storage unit for storing the voice signal and a processor, coupled to the remote communication port and to the voice storage unit and to the memory, for accessing the voice signal from the voice storage unit and the programmable protocol from the memory, and for processing the programmable protocol in response to receiving the remote programming signal.
In another aspect, the present invention defines a method for remotely programming an infusion system. The infusion system has a voice storage unit for storing a voice signal and has a programmable protocol and is remotely programmable by a remote touch-tone transceiver. The method comprises several steps: establishing a connection between the infusion system and the remote touch-tone transceiver; accessing the voice signal from the voice storage unit in response to establishing the connection; sending the voice signal to the remote touch-tone transceiver; receiving a remote programming signal from the remote touch-tone transceiver; and processing the programmable protocol in response to receiving the remote programming signal.
In a further aspect, the present invention comprises a remotely programmable infusion system having a programmable protocol stored in a protocol memory, the remotely programmable infusion system being programmable by a remote touch-tone transceiver. The infusion system comprises an infusion pump for delivering fluids to a patient. The infusion pump has an infusion data port. The infusion system also comprises a homebase unit, coupled to the infusion communication port on the infusion pump via a homebase data port, for processing the programmable protocol. The homebase unit comprises a voice storage unit for storing a voice signal and a remote communication port for sending the voice signal to the remote touch-tone transceiver and for receiving a dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) signal from the remote touch-tone transceiver. The homebase unit further comprises a processor, coupled to the remote communication port, to the voice storage unit, and to the protocol memory, for accessing the voice signal from the voice storage unit, for accessing the programmable protocol from the protocol memory, and for processing the programmable protocol to obtain a processed programmable protocol in response to the DTMF signal. The processed programmable protocol is relayed from the processor to the infusion pump via the homebase data port and the infusion data port.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.